Associate Director Government Affairs

Position Overview

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey seeks an Associate Director of Government Affairs to join its growing Political Advocacy Department. This position is a senior member of the ACLU-NJ Political Advocacy team, responsible for developing and maintaining the organization’s strategic relationships across local, state, and federal government to advance and protect the ACLU-NJ’s civil liberties priorities. Alongside the Executive Director and the Political Director, the Director of Government Affairs serves as a primary external representative of the organization in government-facing contexts, bringing a combination of relationship management, legislative acumen, and advocacy strategy to a broad portfolio of policy campaigns.

Organizational Overview 

For more than 60 years, the ACLU of New Jersey has defended liberty and justice guided by the vision of a fair and equitable New Jersey for all. Our mission is to preserve, advance, and extend the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every New Jerseyan by the state and federal constitutions in courts, in the legislature, and in our communities. We are committed to repairing and transforming spaces where constitutional promises have not been delivered.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Government Relations and External Representation:

• Develop, cultivate, and manage strategic relationships with elected officials, legislative staff, and executive branch officials at the local, state, and federal levels.
• Serve as an external representative of the ACLU-NJ in meetings with legislators, congressional staff, and government agencies.
• Advocate directly on behalf of the ACLU-NJ’s positions with legislators, their staff, and executive branch officials, alongside ACLU-NJ subject matter experts.
• Represent the ACLU-NJ at legislative hearings, briefings, press events, lobby days, and other government-facing engagements and serve as a spokesperson in the media.
• Maintain compliance with all applicable lobbying registration and disclosure requirements.

Legislative Strategy:

• Provide strategic counsel to the Political Director, Executive Director and other senior leaders, and the Political Advocacy team on government relations matters and political landscape developments.
• Identify and pursue opportunities to advance ACLU-NJ priorities through legislative, regulatory, and executive action, in partnership with the Political Advocacy team.
• Coordinate with the National ACLU and peer affiliates on federal advocacy priorities, joint campaigns, and legislative strategy alignment.

Internal Collaboration:

• Partner closely with the Political Advocacy team to ensure government relations work is grounded in policy expertise and aligned with campaign strategies.
• Collaborate with subject matter experts and with the Communications team to develop government-facing messaging, including testimony, briefing materials, and stakeholder one-pagers.
• Supervise, mentor, and provide direction to junior staff and Policy Fellows as assigned.
• Contribute to organizational planning and priority-setting as a senior member of the Political Advocacy team in collaboration with other members of the Political Advocacy team.

Administrative:

• Prepare regular reports on government affairs activities for the Political Director and senior leadership.

• Other duties as assigned.

• Support departmental planning, project management, and administrative functions as needed.

Equity, Inclusion and Belonging:

• Advance ACLU-NJ’s commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging in advocacy strategies, organizational practices, and community partnerships.
• Contribute to department and organization-wide efforts to ensure programs, policies, and engagement practices are inclusive, equitable, and responsive to impacted communities.

Candidate Requirements:

• Demonstrated track record of building and maintaining effective, trust-based relationships with elected officials and government staff.
• Experience working in, or directly with, New Jersey state government or the New Jersey legislature strongly preferred.
• Experience in civil rights, social justice, nonprofit advocacy, or a mission-driven organization preferred.
• Experience with federal legislative or administrative advocacy a plus.
• Prior management or supervisory experience preferred.
• This position will be primarily based in Trenton, with regular travel around the state, including to the ACLU-NJ headquarters in Newark.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Deep knowledge of the legislative and regulatory process, particularly at the New Jersey state level.
• Existing relationships with New Jersey legislators, legislative staff, and/or executive branch officials strongly preferred.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to identify policy opportunities, assess political dynamics, and develop effective advocacy approaches.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to represent the organization credibly and persuasively in high-stakes external settings.
• Skilled at building trust and credibility with a broad range of stakeholders — from elected officials and government staff to community organizations and coalition partners.
• Strong judgment and discretion, with the ability to navigate complex political environments with integrity.
• Ability to manage a broad portfolio of relationships and concurrent advocacy campaigns simultaneously.
• Familiarity with lobbying compliance and registration requirements preferred.

Values and Commitment:

• Demonstrated commitment to civil liberties, civil rights, and social justice, and alignment with the ACLU-NJ’s mission and values.
• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and authentic partnership with the communities the ACLU-NJ serves.
• Ability to engage respectfully and effectively with individuals across the political spectrum in pursuit of civil liberties goals.
• Willingness to occasionally work non-traditional hours to attend meetings and events in the evenings or weekends.

Preferred Qualifications:

The following are not required, but will strengthen a candidate’s application:

• Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish (or another language spoken by New Jersey communities).
• Existing relationships with members of the New Jersey congressional delegation or their staff.
• Experience working on civil rights, criminal justice reform, immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ rights, or voting rights campaigns.
• Experience with federal agency advocacy or administrative rulemaking processes.
• Experience using legislative tracking tools.

Compensation

The salary range for this position starts at $110,000 and will be commensurate with experience based on the ACLU-NJ salary bands. The ACLU-NJ supports and plans for staff member professional growth and skill development through internal and external opportunities. We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package which currently includes 30 days paid time off, 12 office holidays and 16 health care leave days; medical, vision, and dental insurance; 20 weeks (100 days) paid family leave; life and long-term disability insurance; pre-tax transit benefits; and a 401(k) plan with employer match. This position is exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

About our Culture

We are a diverse workforce and take pride in our ability to attract and retain employees with a huge array of backgrounds and experiences. We work hard but also like to celebrate our successes. We strive to bring humility, empathy, kindness, and generosity to our work, internally within the organization and externally with our partners and those whom we are serving. We seek to build a work culture with a sense of respect and collegiality, and a willingness to be generous with our expertise and resources.